Don Quixote — Chapter 23 in French
By Miguel de Cervantes
Don Quichotte, se voyant en si triste état, dit à son écuyer : « Toujours, Sancho, j’ai entendu dire que faire du bien à de la canaille, c’est jeter de l’eau dans la mer. Seeing himself served in this way, Don Quixote said to his squire, "I have always heard it said, Sancho, that to do good to boors is to throw water into the sea. Si j’avais cru ce que tu m’as dit, j’aurais évité ce déboire ; mais la chose est faite, prenons patience pour le moment, et tirons expérience pour l’avenir. If I had believed thy words, I should have avoided this trouble; but it is done now, it is only to have patience and take warning for the future."
— Vous tirerez expérience, répondit Sancho, tout comme je suis Turc. Mais, puisque vous dites que, si vous m’aviez cru, vous eussiez évité ce malheur, croyez-moi maintenant, et vous en éviterez un bien plus grand encore. "Your worship will take warning as much as I am a Turk," returned Sancho; "but, as you say this mischief might have been avoided if you had believed me, believe me now, and a still greater one will be avoided; for I tell you chivalry is of no account with the Holy Brotherhood, and they don't care two maravedis for all the knights-errant in the world; and I can tell you I fancy I hear their arrows whistling past my ears this minute."
— Tu es naturellement poltron, Sancho, reprit Don Quichotte ; mais, afin que tu ne dises pas que je suis entêté et que je ne fais jamais ce que tu me conseilles, pour cette fois je veux suivre ton avis, et me mettre à l’abri de ce courroux qui te fait si peur. Mais c’est à une condition : que jamais, en la vie ou en la mort, tu ne diras à personne que je me suis éloigné et retiré de ce péril par frayeur, mais bien pour complaire à tes supplications. "Thou art a coward by nature, Sancho," said Don Quixote, "but lest thou shouldst say I am obstinate, and that I never do as thou dost advise, this once I will take thy advice, and withdraw out of reach of that fury thou so dreadest; but it must be on one condition, that never, in life or in death, thou art to say to anyone that I retired or withdrew from this danger out of fear, but only in compliance with thy entreaties; for if thou sayest otherwise thou wilt lie therein, and from this time to that, and from that to this, I give thee lie, and say thou liest and wilt lie every time thou thinkest or sayest it; and answer me not again; for at the mere thought that I am withdrawing or retiring from any danger, above all from this, which does seem to carry some little shadow of fear with it, I am ready to take my stand here and await alone, not only that Holy Brotherhood you talk of and dread, but the brothers of the twelve tribes of Israel, and the Seven Maccabees, and Castor and Pollux, and all the brothers and brotherhoods in the world."
Et ne me réplique rien ; car, de penser seulement que je m’éloigne d’un péril, de celui-ci principalement, où il semble que je montre je ne sais quelle ombre de peur, il me prend envie de rester là, et d’y attendre seul, non-seulement cette Sainte-Hermandad ou confrérie qui t’épouvante, mais encore les frères des douze tribus d’Israël, et les sept frères Machabées, et les jumeaux Castor et Pollux, et tous les frères, confrères et confréries qu’il y ait au monde. — Seigneur, répondit Sancho, se retirer, ce n’est pas fuir ; et attendre n’est pas sagesse quand le péril surpasse l’espérance et les forces. "Senor," replied Sancho, "to retire is not to flee, and there is no wisdom in waiting when danger outweighs hope, and it is the part of wise men to preserve themselves to-day for to-morrow, and not risk all in one day; and let me tell you, though I am a clown and a boor, I have got some notion of what they call safe conduct; so repent not of having taken my advice, but mount Rocinante if you can, and if not I will help you; and follow me, for my mother-wit tells me we have more need of legs than hands just now."